By S M Ong

EVERYONE seems to be a little iPhone-crazy these days.

When M1 announced two weeks ago that it will be the second telco to sell the hot Apple gizmo in Singapore, it was big news.

When I mentioned to a colleague that I was succumbing to the hype and considering getting the iPhone, she exploded into a berserker rage. She threatened that if I set my iPhone to have the same ringtone as hers, she would take my iPhone and pee on it.

When I said I haven't even decided to get the iPhone, much less what the ringtone would be, she said she didn't care and reiterated her urination threat. She was that possessive about her ringtone.

Like I said - iPhone-crazy.

But even precluding the fear of my telecommunication device being doused with my colleague's DNA, it is unlikely that I will get the iPhone anytime soon.

For one thing, I've recently already recontracted with my mobile operator. Plus, I have little desire to pay data charges.

Actually, all I really wanted was to replace my old second-gen iPod Nano that I lost a while ago.

So I decided to get the closest thing to an iPhone I could get without a contract - the iPod Touch.

Why I chose it over the new iPod Classic or Nano, which now comes with a video camera, can be summed up in one word: Games.

I figured that when I'm not using the iPod Touch, I could let my children download free games onto it after their exams.

Surprise

So to try it out, I went online to see what's available in Apple's Singapore Apps Store. I browsed the "Entertainment" category and my eyes popped out of my head.

Mixed in together with such kiddy apps like Kitty Bubble Wrap and Burping Pillow were somewhat more adult titles such as 1001 Sex Life Stories and Alexis Texas Strip Tease.

What if I hadn't found this out before I let my kids log on?

Where was the parental warning? It was only after I clicked on the adult app that I got the message: "You must be at least 17 years old to download this application."

By then, my children would have been exposed to more semi-clad oversized chests than I was comfortable with.

They have been traumatised enough by my moobs.

Why can't the adult apps be segregated into a "Mature" category that I can tell my kids to avoid?

That was when it hit me - I should've bought my kids a yo-yo instead.

At least, I know for sure there would be no danger of my colleague going No 1 on it.

smong@sph.com.sg

This article was first published in The New Paper.